Chocolate Babka is a mesmerizing, swirled yeast bread, filled with rich dark chocolate and a hint of sweetness. This Eastern European delicacy combines a tender, brioche-like dough with a decadent chocolate filling, making it an irresistible treat perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Why You’ll Love This: Chocolate Babka is not just delicious; it’s a visual delight, with its layers of twisted dough and glossy chocolate peeking through. Each slice is packed with the gooey, chocolatey filling, ensuring every bite is as flavorful as it is satisfying. This recipe is a delightful challenge with a rewarding outcome, ideal for those who love to bake and indulge.
Perfect Occasion: Chocolate Babka is perfect for special occasions such as holidays, celebrations, or family gatherings. It’s also a fantastic choice for a weekend baking project that fills the house with a delightful aroma. Serve it at a festive brunch or offer it as a thoughtful homemade gift.
Decoration Tips: For a beautiful and tasty finish, brush the babka with simple syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven to give it a shiny, sticky crust. For an extra touch of indulgence, sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with a vanilla or chocolate glaze before serving.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
- 275g all-purpose flour
- 13g fresh baker’s yeast
- 25g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 large eggs
- 50ml milk, lukewarm
- 80g unsalted butter, softened
For the Chocolate Filling:
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g sugar
- 80g 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 40g cocoa powder
For the Syrup:
- 20g sugar
- 40g water
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
Instructions:
- Dough Preparation:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add lukewarm milk and eggs to the flour mixture.
- Knead on low speed until the dough starts to come together, then add the softened butter a piece at a time, ensuring each piece is incorporated before adding the next.
- Continue to knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- Prepare the Chocolate Filling:
- In a small saucepan, melt butter and sugar over low heat. Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted and combined. Remove from heat, stir in cocoa powder, and set aside to cool.
- Assemble the Babka:
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a rectangle about 40 x 30 cm.
- Spread the cooled chocolate mixture evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough tightly from the long edge into a log. Slice the log lengthwise into two pieces, then twist the two pieces around each other, keeping the cut sides facing up.
- Transfer the twisted dough into a greased and lined loaf pan.
- Bake the Babka:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Cover the loaf pan loosely with a damp cloth and allow the dough to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Bake the babka for 25-30 minutes or until it has risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Prepare the Syrup:
- While the babka is baking, combine water, sugar, and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
- Brush the syrup over the hot babka as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Cooling:
- Let the babka cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Enjoy your Chocolate Babka, a stunning and delicious bread that’s sure to be the centerpiece of any table!
